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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · saw · bass · wake · wave · hand · squash · stem

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stem — to come from
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com